Emergency responders help repair Michigan communities after deadly storms

LANSING, Mich. (WILX) - The storms rolled in, and so did the calls.

On Thursday, Michigan was battered by multiple tornadoes. The storms killed five and caused millions of dollars in damage.

During the storm, Ingham County Dispatch had to put out a message asking callers to be patient and use discretion when calling 911, as the volume of calls was overwhelming.

That was on top of typical calls for help.

“We saw an unprecedented number of calls and responses starting approximately eight o’clock Thursday night all the way through about Sunday morning, Sunday afternoon,” said Assistant Fire Chief Mike Tobin.

Tobin said 14 firefighters came in on their day off to help respond to calls.

Tobin said the fire and police departments worked together and responded to 2,100 calls during the storm.

Typically, they only receive about 400 calls from Thursday to Sunday,

“I can tell you, the calls were probably ten times what we would have in a normal night,” said Ingham County Sheriff’s Office Captain Andrew Daenzer.

“To assist with all of the devastation out on I-96. And then it was a matter of prioritizing patients and damage and making sure we got the right services in the right places,” said Daenzer.

The Sheriff’s Office is encouraging people to sign up for the county-wide alert systems. It provides weather alerts and other emergency notifications.

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